Panthers stun Duquesne with singles dominance

You’ve heard of the Backyard Brawl, the storied rivalry between Pitt and West Virginia… You’ve heard of the Backyard Brawl, the storied rivalry between Pitt and West Virginia football.

But have you heard of the contest they call the “Best in the ‘Burgh?”

On Wednesday, the tennis rivalry between Pitt and Duquesne boiled as the two city teams battled in their annual meeting.

The Panthers prevailed, 4-3, on their senior day.

The two clubs, which share the same home facility at Club 4 Life in Monroeville, Pa., see the match as one of the biggest of the year.

“There’s some pride that goes into this match,” Pitt coach George Dieffenbach said.

“We always get up for it. They always get up for it. It’s always close.”

The Dukes jumped out to a quick lead, taking two of the three doubles contests to secure the match’s first point.

The lone Pitt victory in doubles came from seniors Carlie Smith and Leah Friedman, who defeated Andrea Sailer and Alexandria Albano, 8-5, coming back from a 5-2 deficit.

Duquesne’s Zena Williams and Rebecca Poole trumped Pitt’s Sabrina Visram and Christie D’Achille, 8-6, in the second doubles match.

All-time Pitt wins leader Kristy Borza and freshman Elizabeth Adams also fell, 8-5, to Duquesne’s Rachel McGowan and Johanna Bezjak.

But Borza, whose serve was broken in the final game of her doubles match, took responsibility on her shoulders to get her team back on track after falling behind, dispatching Williams easily, 6-0, 6-2, in first singles.

“I felt responsible [for the doubles loss],” Borza said. “I tried to win as quickly as possible, and we were tied up real quick.”

The Panthers fell behind, 2-1, when Visram lost to Bezjak, 7-5, 6-1, after blowing a 5-4 lead in the first set.

The Panthers, who lost, 4-3, against Duquesne last year, tried to change the match’s pace.

At third singles, Adams put away Poole with a routine, 6-4, 6-2, triumph.

With the match tied at two apiece, the remaining matches were all pushed to a deciding set.

Smith gave Pitt the lead with a rousing come-from-behind win over Sailer, 6-7, 6-1, 6-4.

After Friedman dropped her match, 3-6, 7-5, 6-4, to Kristen Swenson, the entire Panthers squad rallied around D’Achille’s court to cheer her on.

It worked – it propelled the junior to a 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, win to clinch the match.

Borza accredited part of D’Achille’s win to the support.

“Any time you have someone keeping you positive, it definitely helps,” she said.

Dieffenbach and his crew were happy to get the win after such tight competition, something they look forward to each year.

“It’s a very healthy rivalry. Each team wants very badly to win that match,” Dieffenbach said.

“We look forward to this level of competition.”

Borza was happy to see the singles players step up after falling behind early.

“I can’t believe we lost the doubles point and still came back with the win,” she said.

“It’s great for our team to win four singles matches.”

Dieffenbach, who is a Pitt alumnus and played for the men’s team as a student, was proud to see poise from his team.

“Winning close matches is the sign of a seasoned, veteran team,” he said.

After the match, Dieffenbach lauded the careers of Smith and Friedman, who have garnered 134 and 113 total wins, respectively, over the course of their careers.

“We’ve appreciated the hard work and good results over the past four years,” said Dieffenbach.

“That’s a lot of wins.”

With the win, the Panthers capped off an 8-1 record since spring break.

They now await seeding for the Big East Championships to be held at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Fla.